Car Review: 2013 Volkswagen Golf R

By Jodi Lai and Nick Tragianis, National Post

Originally published: January 31, 2013

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JL: I knew from the moment I saw the Golf R that I was in love. Without even driving it, I knew the little hot hatch would be perfect for me. After spending a week bombing around town in the R, my assumptions proved to be more right than I could ever fathom. The Golf R and I were meant to be: It’s quick, tight, undeniably badass, exclusive and it strikes all the right chords with fans of understated little race machines.

NT: I’ll admit, I approached the Golf R with slight hesitation, and not because it’s the first manual transmission-vehicle I drove after being publicly humiliated. From a value perspective, it doesn’t stack up too well: $39,675 gets you a six-speed manual, fully loaded hot hatch that puts down 256 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. That price tag puts it in dead heat with the Subaru Impreza WRX STI and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

These three cars are all compact-based rockets with AWD, gobs of power and a robust list of performance goodies under their sheet metal. On paper, the WRX STI and Evolution X were far superior. The WRX STI sprints from zero to 100 km/h in five seconds flat, and the EVO is a tick slower at 5.1. The Golf R, however, does it in 5.8 seconds, which is on par with the more affordable GTI equipped with VW’s direct-shift gearbox. Subaru asks $38,195 for the 305-horsepower WRX STI, and the 291-horsepower EVO starts at $41,998.

JL: I was also worried about the R’s affordability, but way I see it, VW is asking a premium for the sheer exclusivity — there are only 250 on sale in Canada this year. It’s also fully loaded, the only option being the paint colour. I’d argue the R’s Teutonic disposition and refinement also justifies its price — it’s essentially an Audi in a Volkswagen dress, which means a robust engine, a seamless transmission, a smart AWD system and an unshakable interior.

And about its slower official acceleration figures? I don’t care. The R’s pickup feels almost warp-like. The constant threat of speeding tickets was cruel torture during my week with the hatch. Luckily, the brakes are also razor-sharp.

I also love that the R only comes with a manual six-speed transmission. It’s slick, the clutch is short and the shifts are quick — all in all, a seamless package perfectly paired with VW’s ubiquitous turbocharged 2.0-litre DOHC four-cylinder. It also weeds out the people (fools) who can’t drive stick, which, ahem, would have been you had I not been so gracious to teach you.

NT: And I am forever grateful. The R’s gearbox is very crisp. Shift throws are short and direct, and it’s easy to slide into the correct gear. Our little blue hatch also has a hill-holder feature, which holds the car in place for a second or two on a hill to prevent it from rolling back. For someone without much experience with a row-your-own gearbox, the Golf R is very forgiving.

The sweet 2.0L engine that beats under the R’s hood is another one of its forgiving traits. The turbo kicks in at around 2,500 rpm, which, paired with the silky-smooth transmission, makes it easy to scoot around town with if you’re light on the throttle. The menacing burble of the exhaust note is nothing short of a symphony, but if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, then the eight-speaker, 300-watt audio system pumps out music of your choice from the player of your choice — SIRIUS satellite radio, an MP3 player, or even the ol’ fashioned AM/FM radio.

JL: That growly, menacing burble is my favourite part. I had BMW drivers doing double-takes, which only increased the R’s badass factor. My second-favourite part is how taut everything is from the suspension to the solid interior. The difference between the regular Golf and the R’s suspension is almost miraculous. The sport-tuned suspension on the R kept it rooted on loopy on-ramps, even when driven at speeds that would give my mother a heart attack. The tight suspension, however, isn’t kind to old-timers with back problems; R drivers will feel every single lump in the road.

The other feature I loved was the sport steering wheel. The flat-bottomed steering wheel itself (equipped with audio and Bluetooth controls) was meaty, felt luxurious and had a good weight to it. The steering gave solid feedback and made the R easy to manoeuvre.

NT: While the R doesn’t stack up (on paper, at least) in terms of performance to the WRX STI and EVO, it blows them out of the water as far as the interior is concerned. One of my former professors drives a BMW 335i, and while we often debated the superiority of European cars, we came to the conclusion their levels of refinement are unparalleled. That sentiment applies to even the base, made-in-Wolfsburg Golf, and is obvious in the R. The dash and door panels are finished in a soft-touch material, and exclusive, bright silver trim pieces along the dash, doors, and even A/C outlets and window switches, brighten up the otherwise black cabin.

In addition to the sport suspension and tires that could very well be coated with glue given their ability to stick to the road, the leather sport seats in this car hug you tight. The one oddity, however, is that while the seats are adjustable eight ways, only the ability to recline is electronically powered. In an ideal world, they should be fully manual in the name of weight savings, or fully powered in the name of refinement.

JL: Although the Golf R’s value may be questionable, its awesomeness is undeniable, and I’d be happy to have one in my garage.